The Unknown Rocker
by Demystified
Summary: The guitarist that was never given a chance to prove herself to the band.
1. A Rocker At Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the School Of Rock characters

I gazed upon the ceiling, realizing I had been in this same trance for 10 minutes straight. I couldn't help but look at my poster of ACDC. "I want to be up there with you guys..." I thought to myself. Ever since I could remember, playing in a rock band was my dream—my curse.  
  
I sat up slowly, scanning my room for something, the thing that meant the most to me in the entire world. My eyes caught hold of a black, Fender guitar. My 13th birthday present. I looked upon myself, thinking, "Wow, a lot of things have changed since then. I'm now going to be 16 and I still have these childish dreams of being in a band."

My mind wandered back to 5th grade, I was in school. I remembered the "class project", or should I say, Mr. Finn's project of winning Battle of the Bands. I was so excited. They eventually pushed me aside thinking I was no use whatsoever to the band. And since then, that band has hit it big. They were playing at nightclubs and were just about ready to get a record contract with a big company. I just wanted to show them my talent on the guitar, but they already had Zack. I would be no use.

I picked up my black Fender and started to play "Back In Black". My favorite song to jam out on the guitar. Whenever I played the guitar, everything felt right, it just all clicked. I forgot about my problems, I forgot about school, I just focused on the amazing sounds beaming out of the guitar. There was no other feeling that that on the face of the planet.  
  
I heard a knock on my bedroom door—it was my mother. "Honey, you're going to be late for school. You better catch the bus"  
  
"Okay Mom. I'll be right out." I carefully placed my guitar back down and took one last glance at myself in the mirror. "I guess this is the best it will get", I had thought to myself. I put up my hair into a loose bun and proceeded to walk out my bedroom, picking up my book bag with various bands' logos ironed onto it.


	2. A Familiar Face

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the School Of Rock characters

I pushed open the double doors of my school and proceeded to walk through the hallways, just like I had done for the previous days of that year. I was in high school, oh wow, like that meant I was important. I felt like I was in prison while in school. Sitting in certain cells for certain periods of time, then when a bell would ring, they would let us stretch, but that second bell meant we had to be back in our cell or else we would get "punished". Big deal. The "punishment" is cleaning desks for two hours after school. A two-year-old could do it.

I was a pretty studious student. I did my homework, passed my courses, and was on the honor roll. I didn't really care if I was an A student though. I had no interest in the past, numbers, or what's going on inside my body. I cared about music. Luckily, our school had a music department, a very good one infact.  
  
The 4th period bell rang, and I proceeded to grab my lunch from my locker and head to the music room. I picked up one of the 10 guitars they had, plugged the wire into the amp, and then began to rock out. I always closed my eyes when I played; I preferred to visualize things while I played, rather than seeing the room around me.

After about 5 minutes of playing, I heard a faint footstep move closer to me. I opened my eyes and turned around. I saw an average height guy with gelled-dirty blond hair leaning up against the hallway door. He was holding his drumsticks in one hand, a soda in the other. I obviously knew who he was. He was Freddie Jones of course. The drummer for the "School of Rock" band.

"Hey, you're really good. I never knew that you could play so well." He started to walk closer to me, putting down his soda on a near-by table. "Can you play that one verse again? Let's see if we can try and put two and two together."

"Y-yeah, sure. No problem." I played the verse again, while Freddie examined my playing talent. He was bobbing his head up and down a little bit, appearing as if he was figuring out a good beat to go with the verse.

"Okay, I think I got it. How about we try it together."

"Ok, sure." Then I proceeded to play my verse, while he amazingly drummed along as if he had played the song a thousand times.

"Hey, this isn't too shabby. I think we could make this work. Did you write this song? Or is it some song that I have never heard of, which is not likely..."

"Yeah, I just wrote it a few minutes ago actually."

"Wow. You figured out all those chord progressions in a matter of minutes? Heck, even Zack can't do that."

I just shrugged my shoulders a bit. I didn't really know what to say. "I guess I've just had a lot of practice..."

Freddie put his left hand up to his chin, rubbing it as if he was in some sort of state of deep thought. "You know what, you might just work."

"Um, sorry?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Zack. Didn't you hear?" I shook my head. "Oh man. Gnarly skateboard accident. He broke his left wrist and index finger. He can't play for two months because of it!"

"That's horrible. But don't you guys have that audition for the record company soon?"

"Yeah—and we need a good enough replacement or else our shot is blown! You know what? Why don't you stop by my garage around 6:30 tonight. We have band practice. I'll let the band get a look at you before I go and decide things."

"But what if they don't accept me?"

"If you play like that, then they have no choice but to". Freddie then picked up his soda can, tucked his drumsticks in his back pocket, and walked to his next class.

I was at a loss for words. I just sank in my chair, took a deep breath, and thought that it was too good to be true...  
  
A/N: Don't worry, the person will eventually be identified, most likely in the next chapter


	3. An Identity Revealed

After school, I went home and threw myself upon my bed. I put on my headphones and listened to my new Yellowcard CD. "I feel your pain and confusion guys..." I had thought to myself. I always thought it was cool when you could relate to a band's music; it was the coolest feeling in the world to me.  
  
"They're going to reject me, I know it...they did it before, and they'll do it again." I rolled over and looked at a picture hanging on the wall. It was of our 5th grade class, right after the battle of the bands competition. "We were all happy back then...what happened..."  
  
I didn't even have to ask myself that question. I knew what happened. We changed. Our experiences changed us and we drifted apart. "Maybe tonight, they'll realize I've changed since then...and I'm no longer how I used to be..."  
  
The band used to be one. Everyone was involved. That lasted a whole 2 months. The band started to get popular, and the members started to get picky. They started kicking out members who they thought were unnecessary or just annoying. Such as all of the "rowdy crew", the "groupies", and me...  
  
They realized that they could deal without me. They didn't need a manager anymore. They had Dewy. He could run things. They kicked me out and said I was too controlling. After that incident, I started to learn the guitar, and I made a promise to myself. "Even though I'm not good enough to control a band, one day, I want to be good enough to _play_ in a band."  
  
So I practiced and I grew to be a decent guitar player. Things changed in my life since 5th grade. I was no longer the "miss perfect" that I used to be. I became a rocker, I had mood swings, I wore dark clothing; I wasn't an always happy, perfect person anymore. My experiences had changed me.  
  
So that night, I had to prove myself to everyone. I had to prove that I was a different person—a rocker at heart. I knew I was good enough, but all I needed was that extra bit of courage to show them. 


	4. To Prove Yourself Worthy

I walked up Freddie's walkway and then rang the doorbell. I waited there for about a minute, and then I figured that they couldn't hear me because they were practicing. I walked around back and then saw them practicing in the garage. Freddie's eyes widened a bit when he saw me, and then he stopped playing.  
  
"Guys! Hey! Guys! Quiet down! I have an announcement to make." Freddie had shouted.

"What's it this time? You're failing Chemistry again?" Dewey had sarcastically said.

"Uh, no...I've found a replacement for Zack." Freddie had pointed towards me.

"Summer?!" Zack had shouted. He had stood up from his chair and walked towards me. "There's no way SHE will replace me!"

"Zack. Shut up! Just listen to her play. She's really good."  
  
I had blushed a bit, a little embarrassed because Freddie thought I was actually good enough to replace Zack. I cleared my throat, and then got to the courage to say, "Excuse me, guys. But why don't you just let me play one song, and if you don't think I can fill Zack's shoes, then I promise I will leave. I've changed since 5th grade, I really have."  
  
The other band members seemed to be pondering over my offer. There was a long silence. Then I had said, "I promise, I'm not here to get rid of Zack, I just want to fill in while he's hurt. Your audition is coming up soon."  
  
The band members started to nod to what I was saying, and then Mr. Finn had spoken up. "Come on guys! Summer deserves a second chance. Don't you agree?"  
  
There was a pause. But then everyone started to nod their heads in agreement. I then opened up my case and pulled out my black Fender. Within moments, I was playing any song that came to my head. Just one after another.  
  
Later that night, it had turned out that the band decided I was good enough to fill Zack's shoes. A frown was the last thing I was wearing that night.


	5. A Dedicated Life

I was still in shock by the time I had reached my house. "They actually accepted me?" That thought kept replaying throughout my mind. I knew that they realized I was good guitarist, but I knew that didn't understand the reasons behind my change.  
  
Things had happened to me from the time between 5th and my sophomore year in High School. My life had changed. When I was about 12, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, and ultimately died from it 2 years later—my freshmen year. I kept it on the down low, and only told my close friends. Sympathy was something I did not want from the band.  
  
As my life changed, my music did too. I started to take out my feelings on my music. I wrote song lyrics that described how I was feeling and I used my moods to create original music on the guitar. The result was pretty good, if I do say so myself. Even though I had lost the life of my father, I had gained the life of myself. I learned that I was creative, I had musical talent, and above all, I learned that life has its ups and downs.  
  
With a drastic change in my life, at such a young age, most people would think I would be traumatized for life. Well, in a way, I was. Traumatized usually implies that something bad or terrible has happened, right? Well, in my case, I was "traumatized" by falling in love with music. I used the death of my father as fuel for my musical career.  
  
My father loved music. He played in a band when he was younger, but he wasn't a guitarist. He was the lead vocalist. Their band didn't make it far, but they all loved what they did—and that's all that mattered to them.  
  
I didn't inherit my dad's voice, but I did receive his love for music. Ever since his death, I became adamant about pursuing my musical dream. I thought that, if my father loved music so much, then I should love it just as much to honor him.  
  
The thought of my dad kept running in and out of my mind. I couldn't help but let a few tears fall. I picked up the picture of my dad, which was sitting on a table in our family room. I hugged it close to my heart and said, "I'm doing it for you dad, this is for you." 


	6. Mishap Lingers

School was different after that night. The band members started to hang out with me, and my old friends were starting to drift away. I didn't know who the true friends were though. They both had deserted me at one point in time.  
  
The band and I practiced almost every night, to ensue that we would be good enough for when the audition came. Zack's arm was still healing, but he wouldn't be able to play for at least another month. With the audition in less the 2 weeks away, there was no possible way that Zack would be healed in time.  
  
The band still didn't know about my secretive past, and I didn't plan on telling them either. They accepted me as I was, so there was no point in trying to explain the other side of me.  
  
Everything was going along fine, until one night, something strange had happened. I walked to Freddie's garage, just like I always did, but this time, no one else was there. It was just Freddie, sitting alone. He had his head buried in his hands, which were resting on his knees. He looked depressed, as if something bad had happened.  
  
I cleared my throat so he would know I was there. His head jerked up a bit. "Oh, hey."  
  
"Where is everyone?" I had asked.  
  
"I guess you never got the memo. Practice is cancelled tonight. Sorry." Freddie then put his head back into his hands and looked towards the ground.  
  
I was given the impression that I should leave, but I was still curious upon the whole situation. "Sorry, but _why_ is it cancelled?"  
  
"Oh, uh..." He paused for a few seconds, trying to think of something. "Equipment malfunction. I need to spend time fixing it tonight."  
  
There was no way that I was going to buy this story, but it appeared as if everyone else did. I didn't want to be too nosy, but I knew that something wasn't right. "Freddie" I had said in a concerned tone, "what happened?"  
  
After a long pause, he then picked up his head and looked at me. I knew right away that something was wrong. His face appeared as if he was crying, but tried to wipe away the tears. "I screwed up..." 


	7. Misfortune Arrives

I just stared at Freddie for a minute or so. The silence seemed to fit the mood perfectly. Mystery lingered in the air, but I knew that something bad was soon to follow. I was afraid to hear what it was.  
  
I didn't want to pressure him into explaining what happened, but I didn't want him to remain silent and leave either. I had to slowly make him talk. "Freddie..."  
  
"...yeah?" He looked like he was about to cry at any second, but he stayed strong and kept it inside.  
  
"How did you screw up?" I felt that a straight forward question would work best. It required no extra thought processes or anything.  
  
Instead of answering the question directly-- like I had hoped-- Freddie in turn, buried his head in his hands, nodded it up and down, saying, "I screwed up so bad, so bad."  
  
It turned out that discovering the truth might be tougher than I had imagined. "Ok Freddie. I know you messed up. _What _exactly did you do?"  
  
He then sat up and began to do various motions with his hands. His jaw had dropped as if he was speaking words, but no sound was coming out. It was as if he was in a complete state of shock.  
  
"Freddie? What happened?"  
  
He continued with his hand motions. "B-Book. W-r-ong. T-rouble." He then stopped his hand motions, stood up from his chair, and walked to the far corner of the garage.  
  
I was completely confused. It had to do something with a book? "What do you mean by this 'book'?"  
  
He had turned around and looked at me. I could hardly see him because of the lack of lighting. "My date book."  
  
"What's wrong with your date book?"  
  
There was a very long and nerve wrecking silence. "I put it under the wrong date..."  
  
A/N: The date book is not a girlfriend/boyfriend date book. It's like a calendar. 


	8. Fading From Sight

I was completely oblivious to anything that was going on around me at that time. My mind was focused towards Freddie's mistake with the audition. "We missed our chance" I had thought. I was so focused on that, that I couldn't even see what was laid out before my very eyes. It slowly approached, creeping up my spine. Within seconds I had blacked out. My vision blurred back to see two figures shadowing overheard.  
  
"...who...w-ho are y-you?" I hadn't gotten over the impact from hitting the concrete floor. The whole room was spinning and I couldn't make out anything. I then heard some voices, but I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. It was something about a phone and a car. But the next thing I knew, I was being carried off into the dark night.  
  
I kept falling in and out of consciousness, having little knowledge of what was going on. I could hear two deep voices, one that I recognized as Freddie's. I couldn't quite put my finger on who the second voice's was, but I knew it was familiar.  
  
After about 20 minutes, I had regained full consciousness. I was in the backseat of a car, tied up. "Am I being kidnapped" I had though to myself. "But just a second ago I was there with Freddie, talking about how we missed our shot with the record company. What am I doing here?"  
  
"Oh, well looky-here. It seems as if Miss Perfect has woken up. Feeling better sweetie?" I wasn't sure on who said this, but whoever it was, was driving the car. I had definitely heard the voice before, but for the life of me, I couldn't put a name to his voice.  
  
"Where are you taking me? And better yet, WHY are you doing this to me?" I wanted answers. I wasn't going to sit there in the back of his car and go quietly.  
  
"Why don't you ask your good friend, Freddie?" He then nodded his head to his right. I then looked in the passenger's seat and saw Freddie sitting there. He was looking back at me, smiling. Not a "nice" smile. More of a...evil grin. 


	9. Back Stabber

I looked out the back window, but I didn't have the slightest clue of where we were or where we were going. I still couldn't get over the fact that Freddie had tricked me into this. And I didn't even know what the "this" was. "Maybe they're just taking me to the audition. No! Why would they tie me up then! Something's wrong..." I kept thinking to myself.  
  
Freddie had then said to the figure next to him, "Here's the cell phone that you had asked for, Zack. We're almost to the point where we should call."  
  
"Just hold your horses; we still have another 10 minutes 'til then." Zack had said. He then put his right hand, palm up towards Freddie. Freddie then high-fived him. What they had accomplished, I did not know at the time. Kidnapping me? Why would that be so important? All I knew was that my head was still spinning and I couldn't figure out why my back was killing me.  
  
"What did you guys do to me?"  
  
"Zack here" Freddie had commented by patting Zack on his shoulder. "Back stabbed you. Literally and figuratively. That pain that you're probably feeling in your back is from where Zack stabbed you with his pocket knife. He made sure he did it so there were no serious injuries. He then put some fumes near your face, which caused you to black out."  
  
"So he felt like stabbing me? How considerate. And were there any _actual_ motives behind all this?"  
  
"Well, actually, there was. This is where the figurative part comes into play. See, my buddy Zack, he was much smarter than I had ever been." Freddie then leaned forward and opened up the glove compartment.  
  
As he was doing this, I looked around the driver's seat and could see Zack. I noticed that he had both hands on the wheel; both hands look fine! No cast or anything. I couldn't understand what was happening. I was so confused.  
  
Freddie held up a piece of paper. "You see this?" I nodded. "This is our band's result. We already had our audition with the company. They loved us! We signed the contract immediately."  
  
So many thoughts were running through my head at the point, that I had trouble deciding what to say next. "So wait, then who did you get to replace Zack at the audition?"  
  
Zack and Freddie laughed. "I never broke my hand." He held up his hand and wiggled his fingers. "My hand has never been better."  
  
My head was already spinning from the fall onto the concrete, but all this information made it spin worse. "What? Wait. You're telling me you _never_ broke your hand. Then why did pretend to use me as a replacement for him!"

Freddie and Zack both laugh again. Freddie then said, "That, my friend, is a long story."  
  
I looked down at my tied up hands and feet. "I've got time. I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
